District of Columbia
Critics say police botched investigation into mysterious death of Washington Wizards chef
Partner raises concerns after Ernest Newkirk failed to return home from Black Pride party
Ernest Terrell Newkirk, 55, recently worked for several years as a chef at D.C.’s Capital One Arena for the Washington Wizards basketball team and operated a home-based landscaping and lawn care business in Southeast D.C., according to his domestic partner of 21 years, Roger Turpin.
On Saturday evening, May 27 of this year, Newkirk drove from his home to attend a Black Pride dance party held at the Ugly Mug bar and lounge in the Barracks Row section of Capitol Hill, Turpin told the Washington Blade.
Turpin said Newkirk was looking forward to attending a Black Pride picnic two days later as part of the D.C. Black Pride LGBTQ celebration held each year during Memorial Day weekend.
At about 12:30 a.m. on May 28, Newkirk called his partner on his cell phone to say he was leaving the Ugly Mug Black Pride event and would soon be on his way home in his car to the couple’s house at 19 Anacostia Rd., N.E., Turpin said.
At around 2:30 a.m. when Newkirk had not arrived home Turpin became worried and tried calling him, but Newkirk did not answer his partner’s repeated calls. This prompted Turpin a short time later to call D.C. police to file a missing person’s report, Turpin recounted in a phone interview with the Blade.
It took another two days for police to inform Turpin that Newkirk was found deceased on a residential street in the 1100 block of 46th Place, S.E. shortly after 3 a.m. on May 28. Turpin said police told him they could not immediately identify Newkirk because he was found with no identification.
At the time he was found, Turpin points out, Newkirk’s wallet, iPhone, watch, jewelry, and his car, a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro convertible, were all missing. And on May 30, two days after his initially unidentified body was found, Newkirk’s Chevy Camaro was found about a mile from where the body was found, parked behind a small apartment building at 5024 Call Place, S.E., a police report says.
Turpin said a detective from the D.C. police Homicide Branch told him the cause of death appeared to be a heart attack, but the detective provided no explanation of how that determination was made.
D.C. police spokesperson Paris Lewbel told the Blade an autopsy has determined there were no signs of trauma on Newkirk’s body and police have ruled out a homicide in the case. And “thus far, we have no evidence of foul play,” Lewbel said in an email message.
A spokesperson for the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner told the Blade that the office has yet to determine the cause and manner of death and would not be able to make that determination until pending chemical and toxicology tests are completed.
“This case remains under investigation by MPD,” spokesperson Lewbel told the Blade in his July 12 email. “We continue to investigate and monitor for a decision from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner,” Lewbel wrote. “Our next move will be guided by the cause and manner of death determination.”
Turpin, however, said he is troubled over the statement by police that no signs of “foul play” appear to be involved in a case that he believes should be investigated as a carjacking.
He said he’s also troubled over what he believes to be a lack of interest by the detective in looking into how his partner ended up on the street where he was found, what happened to his car, and what happened to his missing property, including his wallet and phone.
According to Turpin, Newkirk’s bank contacted him to say someone attempted to withdraw funds using Newkirk’s ATM card, prompting the bank to put a hold on the card. Turpin said he learned from Newkirk’s phone records that calls were made on the phone after Newkirk’s disappearance and Turpin has the phone numbers to which the calls were made.
He said the detective declined his offer to provide the phone numbers to the police so that the calls might be traced and the person or persons who took possession of Newkirk’s phone and other belongings might be identified.
Turpin said he received in the mail several traffic tickets, including speeding tickets and failure-to-stop-at-red-light tickets, associated with Newkirk’s car at the time it was missing. One of the tickets was from Maryland, said Turpin. He said D.C. police were not interested in tracking down the tickets to try to identify the person or persons he believes stole Newkirk’s car, most likely in a carjacking.
As if all that were not enough, Turpin said D.C. police also declined his request to look for fingerprints on or inside the car in a further effort to identify who took possession of the car.
“They never looked for fingerprints or anything,” he told the Blade. “So, I wore gloves when I got it out,” he said, referring to his taking possession of the car from an impoundment lot where it had been for more than a month. He said he had to obtain documents to show he oversaw Newkirk’s estate and had legal possession of the car.
“And when I got it out, I saw that somebody left their book bag in the car,” Turpin said. “And the police didn’t even look and see what it was.”
Turpin, who’s certain the bag did not belong to Newkirk, said he left it untouched in the back seat of the car, with the hope that D.C. police will take it as part of their claim to continue to investigate the case.
In response to a Blade inquiry, Vito Maggiolo, a spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, said an ambulance was dispatched to the address of 1131 46th Place, S.E. at 3:17 a.m. on May 28 in response to a call about an unconscious person on the street who was later identified as Newkirk.
A D.C. police incident report says the unconscious person was first observed by someone walking by who the report said was performing CPR on the unconscious person until police arrived and took over attempting to revive the then unidentified male.
“MPD Officer took over CPR until D.C. Fire/EMS arrived,” the police report says. “After all attempts at life saving measures, Subject 1 was pronounced dead on the scene,” the report says.
Turpin said he has no idea how or why Newkirk was found on that street. The Blade visited the street last week during the day. The address in front of where Newkirk was found unconscious is a small two-family brick duplex house on a quiet street lined with mostly suburban style small to medium-sized, single-framed houses, well-maintained and many with front lawns and patios.
Among those who knew Newkirk from his and Turpin’s neighborhood was Tyrell Holcomb, the chairperson of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7F, which includes the areas where Newkirk’s body and car were found.
Holcomb told the Blade Newkirk was one of his early supporters when he first ran for election as an ANC commissioner. He said in 2019, Newkirk volunteered his services as a cook for a large outdoor community event that drew more than 2,000 people.
“I will forever be grateful for his contribution to our community,” said Holcomb. “So, for me, I’m frustrated at the pace at which MPD is moving on this. There doesn’t seem to be an urgency surrounding it.”
A printed program book for a memorial service held for Newkirk on June 10 at D.C.’s Shining Star Church says Newkirk was born and raised in Clinton, N.C., and graduated from Clinton High School before attending a culinary arts school in Virginia. The program write-up says he was a certified chef and “served the Washington Wizards for eight years.” It says he was also a Certified Nurse Assistant and the owner-operator of Newkirk Lawn Care.
“He loved his family. He was a ‘social butterfly’ who enjoyed listening to music and attending/hosting parties,” the write-up says. “Cooking and making people happy were his favorite pastimes.”
D.C. police have said that anyone with information related to an unsolved crime should call police at 202-727-9099.
District of Columbia
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day set for May 18
Whitman-Walker joins nationwide recognition of efforts to develop vaccine
Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C.-based community healthcare center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ-related health services, will join health care advocates from across the country to support efforts to develop an HIV vaccine on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day on May 18.
“HIV Awareness Day, observed annually on May 18, was established to recognize and thank the volunteers, scientists, health professionals, and community members working toward a safe and effective prevention HIV vaccine,” Whitman-Walker said in a statement.
“Led by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the day is also an opportunity to educate communities about the critical importance of preventive HIV vaccine research,” the statement says.
It adds, “The reality is that any new vaccine discovery must be built community by community, institution by institution, and then it must reach everyone – especially the communities who have carried the heaviest burden of this epidemic.”
On its own website, the National Institutes of Health says HIV Vaccine Awareness Day also highlights its longstanding efforts, coordinated by its Office of AIDS Research, to support researchers’ efforts to develop an HIV vaccine.
“Researchers are making promising headway in efforts to develop a safe, effective HIV vaccine,” it says in a statement on its website.
A Whitman-Walker spokesperson said Whitman-Walker was not holding a specific event to observe HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, but it will recognize the day as a way of encouragement for its ongoing work to address the AIDS epidemic and support for vaccine research.
“Today, no one has to die from HIV,” said Whitman-Walker’s Health System division’s CEO, Dr. Heather Aaron in the Whitman-Walker statement. “We have the treatments, the technology, and the research to change outcomes, and yet people in our community are still dying from HIV//AIDS,” she said in the statement.
“That is unacceptable, and it is exactly why our work continues,” she added. “Here in D.C. with more focus on Southeast D.C., the Whitman-Walker Health System remains committed to making a difference through cutting-edge research, policy advocacy, and philanthropy, because fair access to life-saving treatment is not a privilege. It is a right.”
District of Columbia
Capital Stonewall Democrats endorses Janeese Lewis George for D.C. mayor
Group also backed D.C. Council, Congressional delegate, AG candidates
The Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political organization, announced on May 14 that it has endorsed D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) for mayor in the city’s June 16 Democratic primary.
Lewis George along with former D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D-At-Large) are considered by political observers to be the two leading candidates among the seven candidates competing in the Democratic primary election for mayor.
Both have strong, long-standing records of support on LGBTQ issues, indicating Capital Stonewall Democrats members, like LGBTQ voters across the city, are likely choosing a candidate based on non-LGBTQ related issues.
In a May 14 statement, the group announced its endorsements in seven other Democratic primary races, including D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, who is running unopposed in the primary. Also endorsed is D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At-Large), who is one of five Democratic candidates competing for the position of D.C. delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) is among the four candidates competing with White for that post, and who like White has a strong record of support on LGBTQ issues.
In the At-Large D.C. Council race for which incumbent Anita Bonds is not running for re-election, Capital Stonewall Democrats has endorsed community activist and LGBTQ ally Oye Owolewa in a nine candidate race.
For the Ward 1 D.C. Council election, in which five LGBTQ supportive candidates are competing, the group did not make an endorsement because none of the candidate received a required 60 percent of the endorsement vote cast by Capital Stonewall Democrats members, according to the group’s former president, Howard Garrett.
The statement announcing its endorsements shows that it decided to list its “Preferred Ranking” of each of the Ward 1 Democratic candidates as part of the city’s newly implemented ranked choice voting system. It lists gay candidate Miguel Trindade Deramo as first, bisexual candidate Aparna Raj second, Jackie Reyes Yanes third, Rashida Brown fourth, and Terry Lynch fifth.
In the remaining ward Council races, Capital Stonewall Democrats endorsed Councilmember Matt Fruman (D-Ward 3), who is running unopposed for re-election; Councilmember Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only gay member who is being challenged by two opponents; and Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who is running unopposed for re-election.
The group also chose not to make an endorsement in the special election for another At-Large D.C. Council seat that became vacant when then-Independent Councilmember McDuffie resigned to enable him to run for mayor as a Democrat. Under the city’s Home Rule Charter adopted by Congress, that at large sweat is restricted to a “non-majority party” candidate, meaning a non-Democrat.
The three candidates running for the seat, all Independents, include incumbent Doni Crawford, who was appointed to the seat earlier this year; former D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman; and Jacque Patterson. All three have expressed support on LGBTQ related issues.
“The organization’s endorsement process included candidate questionnaires, public forums, and direct voting by active CSD members,” the statement announcing its endorsements says. “Each endorsement reflects the collective voice of 173 LGBTQ+ Democrats who voted in the process and are committed to building lasting political power in the District,” according to the statement. “Candidates that reached 60 percent support received the endorsement.”
Garrett, the group’s former president, acknowledged that with nearly all candidates running in D.C. elections expressing strong support for the LGBTQ community, many if not most of the group’s members most likely chose a candidate based on issues other than LGBTQ related issues.
He said he believes Lewis George, who he is supporting and is viewed as a progressive candidate who self-identifies as a Democratic Socialist, compared to McDuffie, who is viewed as a moderate Democrat, captured the group’s endorsement based on the view that she is the best person to lead the city going forward.
“I believe that Capital Stonewall members voted for Janeese Lewis George because we’re tired of the status quo and we need a new, bold leader to not only move our city forward but also to stand up to Donald Trump and his administration,” Garrett told the Washington Blade.
McDuffie’s LGBTQ supporters, including former Capital Stonewall Democrats presidents David Meadows and Kurt Vorndran, have argued that McDuffie’s positions on a wide range of issues, including LGBTQ issues, show him to be the best candidates to lead the city at this time and In future years.
The group’s endorsement of Lewis George comes one week after GLAA DC, a nonpartisan LGBTQ advocacy group, awarded her its highest candidate rating of +10.
District of Columbia
Pride faith services in Washington, D.C.
Almost half of all LGBTQ adults in the U.S. are religious
Are you an LGBTQ person of faith or someone exploring spirituality? It is more common than people realize. According to a Williams Institute study published in October 2020, almost half of all LGBTQ adults in the United States are religious. This may seem counterintuitive as any LGBTQ people have complicated relationships with faith because of very real histories of abuse, trauma, and violence.
This violence still continues in the United States, especially following the Supreme Court’s March 2026 decision in Chiles v. Salazar, who ruled Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors violates the First Amendment, but not everyone has encountered this violence, nor do people who have faced it, separate themselves completely from religion. Many people may seek out affirming faith traditions which are prevalent in the DMV area.
For individuals seeking out faith services during Pride 2026, please check out the list below, which will be updated as more events are publicized.
Memorial Service for SaVanna Wanzer
May 17th at 1 pm
Westminster Presbyterian Church (400 I St SW, Washington, DC 20024)
Westminster Presbyterian will host a celebration of life for legendary DC trans rights activist and founder of DC Trans Pride and Black Trans Pride SaVanna Wanzer who was a long-time member of the church. Live music will begin at 12:15 pm before the start of the memorial service. The service will be livestreamed on the Westminster DC Facebook page. A meal will follow the Sunday service.
There will also be a celebratory vigil held on Saturday, May 16th from 6:30-8 pm for friends and family at the church led by LGBTQ organizer Rayceen Pendarvis.
May 23th at 11 am
Downtown Westin (999 9th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001)
This intimate conversation is hosted by Janeé Lee, founder of Queer Ministry, between Black trans and queer people who are surviving religious trauma and navigating their relationship with the church. The workshop, hosted as part of Trans Pride DC, is a chance for people to share their stories at the intersection of queerness and spirituality and to walk away with a spiritual healing guide with affirming scriptures and inclusive theology.
DC Black Pride Worship Service
May 24th at 10 am
Remnant Christian Center (120 West Hampton Avenue, Capitol Heights, MD)
Hosted by The Community Church of Washington DC-UCC, this service will feature speakers and sessions on Black queer faith and unity, including host and speaker Robert D. Wise Jr. for a powerful Pentecost Unity Service. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in and white.
June 5th at 7 pm
Sixth & I (600 I Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001)
Join Rabbi Jenna will be leading an inclusive, musical service celebrating the diversity of Jewish life in Washington, DC. Happy Hour, which is limited to people 21 and older, will start at 6 pm. The service will start at 7 pm, with dinner at 8:15 pm. The service is free but registration is required, and the kosher-style pescatarian meal does cost money. Register online here.
June 14th at 5 pm
Black Cat (1811 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009)
Muslim Pride is a community-led and funded grassroots performance series centering queer and trans Muslim artists through music, drag and dance. The series was originally founded in 2020 as a way to create affirming spaces where faith, culture, and queerness can coexist. This year’s series features Mercedes Iman Diamond. This year, Muslim Pride expands to Washington, DC, New York City, and Los Angeles. Buy tickets here.
Pride Celebrations and Sunday Worship Service
June 14th all day
Riverside Baptist Church (699 Maine Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20024)
Join Riverside Baptist Church for a day-long Pride celebration beginning with Pride Weekend/Musical Theater Sunday worship service at 10 am. Later that morning and early afternoon, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, the church will be hosting a Pride Pageant, a technicolor celebration featuring a runway showcase, line dancing, food, and refreshments.
June 22nd at 7 pm
St. Mark’s Episocpal Church (301 A Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003)
Join this interfaith service celebrating affirming faith traditions and intertradition dialogue hosted by queer and trans faith leaders. The interfaith service has been hosted annually for over 40 years, and first began back in the 1980s with faith leaders and queer people of faith coming together to mourn and pray at the site of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall. Learn more about the history of the interfaith service here.
June 23rd at 6 pm
Holy Trinity Catholic Church (3513 N St NW, Washington, DC 20007)
Holy Trinity will be hosting its 6th annual Pride Mass. After its debut this past summer, the Pride Mass choir will be singing at the Pride Mass in June, and following the Mass, there will be an annual reception with ice cream and other goodies. Learn more about attending the reception and Holy Trinity’s LGBTQ+ Ministry.
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